Pincer nail correction tool

ABSTRACT

A pincer nail correction tool for remedying a pincer nail of a toe as the nail grows by bonding a necessary part separated from the body to the pincer nail. The tool includes a flat operating portion gripped before the necessary part is bonded and rotated in the direction in which the pincer nail is remedied, a thin-sheet abutting portion extending from the flat surface on one side of the operating portion and projecting straight toward the distal end, a thin-sheet engaging portion narrower than the abutting portion in the surface direction and extending from the surface on the other side of the operating portion substantially parallel with the abutting portion, and a bottom extending from one end face of the operating portion toward the distal end and connecting the abutting portion with the engaging portion to form a J-shaped cross-section. The projection length of the abutting portion is longer than that of the engaging portion.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a pincer nail correction tool fornaturally remedying a pincer nail as the nail grows.

BACKGROUND ART

As a result of continuous wearing of shoes having narrowed shoes toessuch as high-heeled shoes, a nail of a toe can be extremely curved anddeformed into a pincer nail. As a tool for correcting such a pincernail, the present applicant proposed a correction tool of PatentDocument 1.

This correction tool is inserted on either side of a distal end of anail, and is moved in the direction in which the curve of the nail is tobe corrected. By securing the correction tool in this state, the pincernail is corrected as the nail grows. This tool wins great popularity.

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 3393865 DISCLOSUREOF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

However, the above-mentioned correction tool is interfered by the skinof a toe and cannot be inserted deeply in a nail because of itsstructure. Therefore, it is impossible to sufficiently ensure a bondingface with the nail, and stress by the growing nail will concentrate on anarrow bonding site, so that the possibility of cracking of the nailcannot be denied.

Also, since it is somewhat difficult to correct pincer nails of variousdegrees of curvature with a single correction tool, development of acorrection tool accepting various degrees of curvature of pincer nailsis highly demanded. Furthermore, development of a tool capable ofappropriately accepting a nail tip that is infected by ringworm fungi isalso demanded.

The present invention was devised in consideration of the aboveproblems, and it is an object of the invention to provide a correctiontool capable of widely dispersing pressure during correction of a pincernail, and avoiding cracking and the like of the nail. It is anotherobject of the invention to provide a correction tool exerting optimumcorrecting power in accordance with the degree of curvature of the nailand the like.

Means for Solving the Problems

In order to achieve the objects described above, the invention accordingto claim 1 provides a pincer nail correction tool for remedying a pincernail of a toe as the nail grows by integrally bonding a necessary partseparated from a main body to the pincer nail, the tool including: aflat operating portion gripped before the necessary part is bonded andto be rotated in a direction in which the pincer nail is remedied; athin-sheet abutting portion extending from a flat surface on one side ofthe operating portion and projecting straight toward a distal end; athin-sheet engaging portion narrower than the abutting portion in asurface direction and extending from a flat surface on another side ofthe operating portion substantially parallel with the abutting portion;and a bottom portion extending from one end face of the operatingportion toward the distal end and connecting the abutting portion withthe engaging portion to form a J-shaped cross-section, wherein aprojection length of the abutting portion is longer than that of theengaging portion.

The pincer nail includes those referred to as an ingrown nail (thecondition that a corner of a nail sticks into a soft tissue (flesh) likea splinter to cause inflammation), a trumpet nail (the condition that anail is heavily caught into the skin from both sides), a splinter nail(the condition that a part of a nail having a splinter-like shape sticksinto the skin), and a spirally wound nail.

In order to prevent the superficial face of the nail from being crackedby ensuring a sufficient adhesion area to the superficial face of thenail and widely dispersing pressure during correction of the pincernail, the abutting portion is preferably formed into a substantiallyrectangular shape.

Preferably, the engaging portion has a connecting part continuing fromthe operating portion, and an engaging body part narrower than theconnecting part in the surface direction. Usually, in accordance with ayellow line of the nail formed into an arc shape (the borderline where anail bed and a nail plate separate from each other), the narrow engagingbody part can be inserted up to a limit position, and a sufficientadhesion area to the back face of the nail can be ensured.

Preferably, the engaging body part is formed to be gradually narrowertoward the distal end. In an early stage of correction, since theadhesion area to the back face of the nail is large, strong correctingpower is exerted particularly at a nail tip end. Thereafter, the curvedstate is corrected as the nail grows, so that there arises no problemeven if the adhesion area reduces.

Preferably, the connecting part and the engaging body part are connectedwith each other via an intermediate part that is formed to be graduallynarrower toward the distal end. By providing the intermediate part, theengaging body part can be formed to have a constant width. Therefore, awide adhesion area to the back face of the nail can be ensured for along time, and strong correcting power is exerted.

The abutting portion may have a proximal end abutting part continuingfrom the operating portion, and a distal end abutting part narrower thanthe proximal end in the surface direction. Provision of the narrowdistal end abutting part ensures a sufficient insertion depth.Therefore, a sufficient adhesion area to the superficial face of thenail can be ensured in a severe pincer nail.

In the above case, in the bottom portion, the distal end side of theengaging portion is preferably notched. A tip end of the engaging bodypart can be inserted up to the limit position, and a sufficient adhesionarea to the back face of the nail can be ensured.

Preferably, a plurality of slots are formed in the abutting portion.This facilitates the process of fixing the correction tool to the nailand scraping off a part excessively projecting from the nail.

The invention according to claim 9 provides a pincer nail correctiontool for remedying a pincer nail of a toe as the nail grows byintegrally bonding a necessary part separated from a main body to thepincer nail, the tool including: an abutting portion formed to have aJ-shaped cross section by folding a thin-sheet material and extendinglong toward a distal end; an engaging portion extending shorter than theabutting portion substantially parallel therewith; and a return portionconnecting the abutting portion and the engaging portion, wherein priorto use, an unnecessary part is removed in accordance with a correctionposition of the nail.

This correction tool enables correction of a thin nail, as well as anail in a toe other than a thumb which is conventionally considered tobe difficult to correct, as well as in fingers.

In order to prevent the superficial face of the nail from being crackedby ensuring a sufficient adhesion area to the superficial face of thenail and widely dispersing the pressure during correction of the pincernail, it is preferred that the proximal end side of the abutting portionis formed to be wide in the surface direction and formed to have asubstantially T-shape in planar view as a whole.

The engaging portion may be formed in such a manner that the distal endside is notched into a trapezoidal shape. This greatly reduces the stepsof processing the correction tool, and allows simplified attachment in ashort period of time.

On the distal end side of the abutting portion, a thick operatingportion may be provided continuously. This facilitates gripping of thecorrection tool.

The invention according to claim 13 provides a pincer nail correctiontool for remedying an ingrown nail of a toe as the nail grows byintegrally bonding a necessary part separated from a main body to theingrown nail, the tool including: a flat operating portion; a thin-sheetconnecting portion extending from a flat surface on one side of theoperating portion; a plate-like abutting portion extending from a flatface on another side of the connecting portion; and a hook-like engagingportion formed by folding a flat face on another side of the abuttingportion, wherein the abutting portion is formed to be thicker than theconnecting portion.

This correction tool may be used by being bonded on a surface of anothercorrection tool after attaching the other correction tool on a pincernail. In this case, besides a lateral end of the nail breaking into theskin, a tip end of the nail can be corrected at once.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention described above, by dispersing thepressure widely during correction of the pincer nail, it is possible toachieve safe correction while avoiding a fear of cracking of the nail,and further to draw up the lateral end of the nail over a wide range. Inthe present invention, even when a nail is infected by ringworm fungi,the nail can be corrected in the part excluding the infected part, andeven a severe ingrown nail can be corrected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 includes views each showing a correction tool EQ1 according to afirst embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a correction tool EQ1′ as another example ofthe correction tool EQ1.

FIG. 3 includes views each showing a method of using the correction toolEQ1.

FIG. 4 includes another views each showing a method of using thecorrection tool EQ1.

FIG. 5 includes views each showing a correction tool EQ2 according to asecond embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a correction tool EQ2′ as another example ofthe correction tool EQ2.

FIG. 7 includes views each showing a method of using the correction toolEQ2.

FIG. 8 includes views respectively showing a correction tool EQ2″ and acorrection tool EQ2″' as further examples of the correction tool EQ2.

FIG. 9 includes views each showing a correction tool EQ3 according to athird embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 includes views each showing a method of using the correctiontool EQ3.

FIG. 11 includes another views each showing a method of using thecorrection tool EQ3.

FIG. 12 includes views each showing another method of using thecorrection tool EQ3.

FIG. 13 includes views each showing further another method of using thecorrection tool EQ3.

FIG. 14 includes views respectively showing a correction tool EQ3′ and acorrection tool EQ3″ as further examples of the correction tool EQ3.

FIG. 15 includes views each showing a correction tool EQ4 according to afourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 includes views each showing a method of using the correctiontool EQ4.

FIG. 17 is a view showing a correction tool EQ4′ as another example ofthe correction tool EQ4.

FIG. 18 includes views each showing an example of using the correctiontool EQ4′.

FIG. 19 is a view showing a pincer nail degree chart for determining acorrection tool to be used.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present invention will be described below based on embodiments. FIG.1 includes views each showing a pincer nail correction tool EQ1according to a first embodiment of the present invention, namely a frontview (a), a plan view (b), a bottom view (c), a perspective view (d),and an A-A cross section view (e).

The correction tool EQ1 includes a flat operating portion 1 grippedduring use, a thin-sheet abutting portion 2 extending from a back sideof a left lateral face of the operating portion 1 and projectingstraight toward a distal end, a thin-sheet engaging portion 3 narrowerthan the abutting portion 2 and extending from a front side of the leftlateral face of the operating portion 1 substantially parallel with theabutting portion 2, and a bottom portion 4 extending from a bottom sideof the left lateral face of the operating portion 1 toward the distalend and connecting the abutting portion 2 and the engaging portion 3 toform a substantially J-shaped cross section, which are integrally formedof transparent plastic (ABS resin). The correction tool EQ1 has alateral length of, for example, about 52 mm.

As shown in FIG. 1( d), an insertion groove 5 having a substantiallyJ-shaped cross section is formed by the abutting portion 2, the engagingportion 3 and the bottom portion 4. A projection length of the abuttingportion 2 is larger than those of the engaging portion 3 and the bottomportion 4.

The abutting portion 2 formed into a substantially rectangular shape hasthe same width in the surface direction (vertical direction) as that ofthe operating portion 1. The abutting portion 2 is provided with athin-thickness portion 6 extending toward the distal end from rather acenter of the distal end side (left side). The thin-thickness portion 6is a rough mark in cutting the correction tool EQ1 as will be describedlater, and is formed to be thinner than the abutting portion 2 for easeof cutting.

The engaging portion 3 is made up of a connecting part 3 a having awidth in the vertical direction narrower than that of the operatingportion 1 and continuing from the operating portion 1, and an engagingbody part 3 b extending from the connecting part 3 a to be furthernarrower in the vertical direction. The engaging body part 3 b isdiagonal so that it is gradually narrowed toward the bottom portion 4.

Since the correction tool EQ1 of the first embodiment is configured asdescribed above, it will be used for a case where a part to be correctedin a pincer nail of a toe shown in FIG. 3 (a) is situated on theobserver's right of the subject. Therefore, when a part to be correctedis situated on the observer's left of the subject, a correction toolEQ1′ having a configuration shown in FIG. 2 will be used.

Next, a method of using the correction tool EQ1 according to the firstembodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Prior touse of the correction tool EQ1, a foot of a subject is wiped with asteaming towel or the like. The foot may be dipped in a foot bath (footbath machine). In this case, the foot should be just rinsed so thatwater will not enter the nail overly.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3( b), a tip end of the engaging portion 3 isbrought into abutment with the vicinity of a proximal end of a nail tip11 (free edge) of the pincer nail 10 of the subject. Then a part of thethin-thickness portion 6 of the abutting portion 2 projecting from thenail 10 is cut. Next, a gel 13 is applied to the vicinity of the lowerside of an inner face of the abutting portion 2 of the correction toolEQ1. Then, a blush (not shown) is immersed with an activator 14(activating agent), and the gel 13 placed on the abutting portion 2 ismixed with the activator 14 by using the blush, and the gel 13 is rubbedwith the blush so that it spreads into the insertion groove 5 defined bythe abutting portion 2, the engaging portion 3 and the bottom portion 4.At this time, an upper part of the inner face of the abutting portion 2is kept from being rubbed with the gel. Here, the gel 13 is mainly basedon ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate, polymethyl methacrylate, and hydroquinone. Theactivator 14 is mainly based on ethyl acetate and dimethyl-P-toluidine,and promotes drying of the gel 13.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 3( c) and (d), a lateral nail fold of thesubject is opened so that the lateral end of the nail 10 is visible, andthe insertion groove 5 is inserted into a proximal end of the nail tip11. Then the lower side of the outer face of the abutting portion 2 ispushed to such an extent that the engaging portion 3 adheres with theback side of the nail tip 11 and the lower side of the abutting portion2 adheres with the superficial face of the nail 10 and the nail tip 11via the gel 13.

After the gel 13 cures and the right lateral end of the nail 10 and thelower side of the correction tool EQ1 are fixed, the gel 13 is furtherpoured between the superficial face of the nail 10 and the abuttingportion 2 as shown in FIG. 3( e). Next, as shown in FIG. 3( f), theoperating portion 1 is rotated to bring down the correction tool EQ1, tothereby join the superficial face of the nail 10 and the upper side ofthe abutting portion 2. Then, the correction tool EQ1 is kept while itis brought down until the gel 13 cures, so that the correction tool EQ1and the nail 10 of the subject are integrated with each other while thecurved state of the pincer nail is corrected.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3( g), unnecessary parts excessively projectingfrom the nail 10 at the operating portion 1, the abutting portion 2 andthe engaging portion 3 of the correction tool EQ1 are scraped off,leaving only a necessary part adhering to the nail. Also as shown inFIG. 3( h), an upper end of the abutting portion 2 is scraped off tolevel the superficial face of the nail 10 and the abutting portion 2.The nail 10 and the correction tool EQ1 are then scraped and shaped toprovide a good appearance as a whole (see FIG. 3( i)).

As a result of these treatments, the nail 10 is integrated with thecorrection tool EQ1 and is finished into the state as shown in FIG. 4(a). Next, for improving the durability of the correction tool EQ1, afiber glass 15 is bonded onto the nail 10. First, the rectangular fiberglass 15 is bonded onto the superficial face of the nail 10, and a partrunning over the superficial face of the nail 10 is cut (see FIG. 4(b)). Then a resin is applied onto the fiber glass 15 bonded on thesuperficial face of the nail 10, so that the fiber glass 15 adheressecurely onto the superficial face of the nail 10 (FIG. 4( c)). As aresult, fibrous mesh of the fiber glass 15 is almost invisible. Theresin is mainly based on ethyl-2-cyanocrylate and hydroquinone.

Lastly, the gel 13 and the activator 14 are spread over the entiresuperficial face of the nail 10 onto which the fiber glass 15 is bonded,and the entire superficial face of the nail 10 is secured with the gel.As a result, the nail 10 is secured in a corrected condition, and thecorrecting treatment of the pincer nail completes. FIG. 4( d) and FIG.4( e) are a front view and a plan view of a nail in a complete state,respectively.

In the correction tool EQ1 of the first embodiment, since the projectionlength of the abutting portion 2 is longer than that of the engagingportion 3, the correction tool EQ1 is secured over a large range on thesuperficial face of the nail. As a result, safety correction is realizedby widely dispersing pressure during correction of the pincer nail andavoiding the fear of cracking of the nail. Also, by forming the abuttingportion 2 into a substantially rectangular shape, it is possible toensure a sufficient adhesion area to the superficial face of the nail.

Since the correction tool EQ1 is made of transparent plastic, it can beeasily cut or deformed. Therefore, after securing the correction toolEQ1 on the nail of the subject, the shape of the nail of the subject canbe seen through the correction tool EQ1. As a result, the correctiontool EQ1 may be cut in accordance with the shape of the nail. Further,since the fiber glass 15 that turns into transparent together with thetransparent correction tool EQ1 is bonded on the superficial face of thenail, the subject has no uncomfortable feeling during correction of thenail by attachment of the correction tool EQ1. Also good-lookingcorrection can be achieved so that attachment of the correction tool EQ1is almost unrecognized.

Next, FIG. 5 includes views each showing a pincer nail correction toolEQ2 of a second embodiment of the present invention, namely a front view(a), a plan view (b), and a perspective view (c).

The correction tool EQ2 is used with a severe pincer nail which haslittle gap between the skin and the nail as shown in FIG. 7( a), so thatthe bottom portion 4 of the correction tool EQ1 of the first embodimentcannot enter between the skin and the nail. It is also preferably usedwith a spiral nail in which the nail is wound several times. Thecorrection tool EQ2 includes a flat operating portion 21 gripped duringuse, a thin-sheet abutting portion 22 extending from a back side of aright lateral face of the operating portion 21 and projecting toward adistal end (rightward), a thin-sheet engaging portion 23 narrower thanthe abutting portion 22 in the vertical direction and extending from afront side of the right lateral face of the operating portion 21substantially parallel with the abutting portion 22, and a bottomportion 24 extending from a bottom side of the right lateral face of theoperating portion 21 and connecting the abutting portion 22 and theengaging portion 23 to form a J-shaped cross section. The correctiontool EQ2 has a lateral length of, for example, about 56 mm.

As shown in FIG. 5( c), a projection length of the abutting portion 22is longer than those of the engaging portion 23 and the bottom portion24. The abutting portion 22 is made up of a proximal end abutting part22 a continuing from the operating portion 21 and having the same widthin the surface direction (vertical direction) with the operating portion21, a distal end abutting part 22 c formed into a narrowed rectangularshape, and an intermediate part 22 b connecting the proximal endabutting part 22 a and the distal end abutting part 22 c and having agradually narrowed width.

The engaging portion 23 is made up of a connecting part 23 a having anarrower width in the vertical direction than the operating portion 21and continuing from the operating portion 21, an engaging body part 23 chaving a narrower width in the vertical direction than the connectingpart 23 a, and an intermediate part 23 b connecting the connecting part23 a and the engaging body part 23 c and having a gradually narrowedwidth.

The bottom portion 24 has a projection length shorter than that of theengaging portion 23. The bottom portion 24 is formed in the shape of anotch with respect to the abutting part 22 and the engaging portion 23.In other words, the abutting portion 22 and the engaging portion 23 areformed in the shape of a fork projecting from the bottom portion 24.

Since the correction tool EQ2 of the second embodiment is formed asdescribed above, it is used in a case where the part to be corrected inthe pincer nail of the toe shown in FIG. 7( a) is situated on theobserver's left of the subject. Therefore, when the part to be correctedis situated on the observer's right of the subject, a correction toolEQ2′ having a configuration as shown in FIG. 6 is used.

Next, with reference to FIG. 7, a method of using the correction toolEQ2 configured as described above will be described. First, a sanitarytreatment is conducted similarly to the first embodiment. Then as shownin FIG. 7( a), a tip end of a nail tip 31 of a nail 30 is cut into apredetermined length. Then, similarly to the first embodiment, the geland the activator are mixed together and applied onto the lower side ofthe inner face of the abutting portion 22, the engaging portion 23 andthe bottom portion 24. At this time, the upper side of the inner face ofthe proximal end abutting part 22 a and the intermediate part 22 b ofthe abutting portion 22 is kept from being rubbed with the gel.

As shown in FIG. 7( b), the correction tool EQ2 is inserted in a lateralend of the nail tip 31 to such an extent that the abutting portion 22engages with the superficial face of the nail 30 and the engaging bodypart 23 c engages with the back face of the nail 30 while the bottomportion 24 does not come into abutment with the skin of the toe.

After a while, the gel cures, and the lateral end of the nail 30 and thelower side of the correction tool EQ2 are secured. After the securing,similarly to the first embodiment, the gel is further poured between thesuperficial face of the nail projecting from the toe and the upper sidesof the inner faces of the proximal end abutting part 22 a and theintermediate part 22 b. Then, as shown in FIG. 7( c), the operatingportion 21 is twisted to join the superficial face of the nail and theupper lateral face of the abutting portion 22. The gel cures while thecorrection tool EQ2 is kept twisted, and the correction tool EQ2 and thenail 30 of the subject are integrated with each other while the curvedstate of the pincer nail is corrected.

In the following, similarly to the first embodiment, a part excessivelyprojecting from the nail 30 of the correction tool EQ2 is scraped off. Afiber glass is then bonded onto the superficial face of the nail 30, andthe gel is applied thereon, so that the nail 30 is secured in acorrected state.

In the correction tool EQ2 of the second embodiment, since theprojection length of the abutting portion 22 is longer than that of theengaging portion 23, the correction tool EQ2 is fixed over a large rangeof the superficial face of the nail. As a result, it is possible towidely disperse pressure during the correction of the pincer nail,thereby realizing safe correction by avoiding the fear of cracking ofthe nail.

Further, even in the case of a severe pincer nail where there is no gapbetween the skin and the nail and the bottom portion 4 cannot enterbetween the skin and the nail with the correction tool EQ1 of the firstembodiment, the correction tool EQ2 can be fixed to the nail as if thenail were gripped with tweezers without causing abutment of the skin ofthe toe with the bottom portion 24 because the engaging portion 23 isformed into a fork projecting from the bottom portion 24 together withthe abutting portion 22.

Further, the correction tool EQ2 can be used to a spiral nail in whichthe nail is wound several times, for example, as shown in FIG. 7( d). Asshown in FIG. 7( e), the correction tool EQ2 is inserted into a tip endof the spiral nail. Then, the operating portion 21 is rotated andsecured to allow correction of the nail in the condition where thespiral is remedied.

In the case of the present embodiment, the correction tool EQ2 may beformed as a correction tool EQ2″ according to a modified example shownin FIG. 8( a). In the correction tool EQ2″, the abutting portion isextended from a substantial center in the vertical direction of theoperating portion, the engaging portion is formed to extend straightfrom the proximal end to the distal end, and the abutting portion andthe engaging portion are formed to project from the bottom in the shapeof a fork.

There may be a correction tool EQ2′″ as a modified example shown in FIG.8( b). The abutting portion of the correction tool EQ2′″ is made up of aproximal end abutting part 22 a continuing from the operating portion 21and having the same width in the surface direction (vertical direction)as the operating portion 21, and a distal end abutting part 22 bextending from the distal end direction (right direction) of the distalend abutting part 22 a and formed into a rectangular shape narrow in thesurface direction. As shown in FIG. 8( b), on the surface of theproximal end abutting part 22 a, a plurality of slots 24 . . . 24 areformed in two lines and 8 columns in the center of the verticaldirection.

In this correction tool EQ2′″, since the plurality of slots 24 areformed, excellent workability is provided in securing to a nail andscrapping off the part excessively projecting from the nail.

Next, FIG. 9 includes views each showing a pincer nail correction toolEQ3 according to a third embodiment of the present invention, namely afront view (a), a back view (b), a left lateral view (c), a rightlateral view (d), a plan view (e), a bottom view (f), and a perspectiveview (g).

The correction tool EQ3 is used for correction of a mild pincer nail andan ingrown nail, and includes an abutting portion 41 extending longtoward the distal end (upward direction), an engaging portion 42 shorterthan the abutting portion 41 and extending upward substantially parallelwith the abutting portion 41, and a return portion 43 connecting theabutting portion 41 and the engaging portion 42 on the proximal endside, thereby having a J-shaped cross section as a whole. The correctiontool EQ3 is also formed of transparent plastic, and is preferably formedof plastic harder than ABS resin. The correction tool EQ3 has a verticallength of about 24 mm.

As shown in FIG. 9( a), the proximal end side of the abutting portion 41is formed to be wider in the surface direction (lateral direction), andthe abutting portion 41 is formed into a T-shape in planar view as awhole.

Since the correction tool EQ3 of the third embodiment is configured asdescribed above, either one of left and right pincer nails can becorrected by using the identical correction tool EQ3.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, a method of using thecorrection tool EQ3 configured as described above will be described.First, a sanitary treatment is conducted similarly to the firstembodiment. Then, for correction of a right lateral end of a nail tip 51of a nail 50, the abutting portion 41 and the engaging portion 42 of thecorrection tool EQ3 are cut along a cut line L1 as shown in the backview of the correction tool EQ3 in FIG. 10( a) (see FIG. 10( b)). Thenthe mixture of the gel and the activator is applied to the proximal endside of the abutting portion 41, the engaging portion 42 and the bottomportion 43. At this time, the upper side of the abutting portion 41 iskept from being rubbed with the gel.

As shown in FIG. 11( a), the correction tool EQ3 is inserted into theright lateral end of the nail tip 51, and the proximal end side of theabutting portion 41 is fixed to the superficial face of the nail 50 aswell as the engaging portion 42 is fixed to the back face of the nail50. In this case, the correction tool EQ3 may be inserted into the nailtip 51 with use of tweezers 52.

After the gel cures to secure the lateral end of the nail 50 and theproximal end side of the correction tool EQ3, the gel is further pouredbetween the superficial face of the nail 50 and the upper side of theabutting portion 41. Then, an upper side of the abutting portion 41 isbonded to the superficial face of the nail 50 while the nail tip 51 isgripped with the tweezers 52 and drawn outward (see FIG. 11( b)). Afterthe gel cures, a part excessively projecting from the nail 50 in thecorrection tool EQ3 is cut. Further, by applying and fixing the gel onthe peripheral edge of the abutting portion 41, the correction tool EQ3and the nail 50 of the subject are integrated with each other while thecurved state of the pincer nail is corrected.

When the left side end of the nail tip is corrected, the abuttingportion 41 and the engaging portion 42 are cut according a cut line L2shown in the back view of the correction tool EQ3 in FIG. 12( a) (seeFIG. 12( b)). Then, the correction tool EQ3 is attached to the nail (seeFIG. 12( c)).

When a lateral end of the nail other than the nail tip is corrected,only the engaging portion 42 is cut along a cut line L3 shown in theback view of correction tool EQ3 in FIG. 13( a) (see FIG. 13( b)). Then,the engaging portion 42 is inserted into the lateral end of the nail toconduct correction of the nail (see FIG. 13( c)).

In the correction tool EQ3 of the third embodiment, since the proximalend side of the abutting portion 41 is formed to be wide in the surfacedirection (lateral direction), pressure can be dispersed widely duringcorrection of the pincer nail. As a result, a fear of cracking of thenail is avoided and safe correction can be realized. The lateral end ofthe nail can also be drawn up in a wide range.

While the proximal end side of the abutting portion 41 of the correctiontool EQ3 is formed to have a substantially T-shape, the shape thereofmay alternatively be a rectangular, trapezoidal, or rectangular. Theshape of the abutting portion is not particularly limited as far aspressure applied during correction on the lateral end of the nail can bedispersed widely.

Further, by cutting the abutting portion 41 and the engaging portion 42along the cut lines L1 and L2, the correction tool EQ3 may be used toeither one of left and right nail tips. Also in a case where only thenail tip is wound, effective correction is realized. By cutting theengaging portion 42 along the cut line L3, it may be used to a lateralend of the nail other than the nail tip. Further, the correction toolEQ3 may be attached to a nail beside a part infected by ringworm fungi.Also after a severe pincer nail is corrected into a mild pincer nail bymeans of a correction tool EQ according to another embodiment, thecorrection tool EQ3 may be attached to a base of the nail to securelydraw up only the base of the nail.

The correction tool EQ3 enables correction to a thin nail, as well as anail in a toe other than a thumb which is conventionally considered tobe difficult to correct and also in fingers. Further, in the correctiontool EQ3, correction may be achieved without using the gel at the timeof adhesion with the nail. In this case, the correction tool EQ3 ishooked on the nail tip, and a fabric tape TP larger than the abuttingportion 41 is pasted on the surface of the abutting portion 41. Theabutting portion 41 is brought down to the superficial face of the nailtogether with the fabric tape, and the correction tool EQ3 is secured tothe nail while the curved state of the pincer nail is corrected (seeFIGS. 11( c) to 11(e)). By using a fabric tape onto which an adhesive isapplied, a pincer nail can be readily corrected even at home.

In the case of the present embodiment, the correction tool EQ3 may beprovided as a correction tool EQ3′ or a correction tool EQ3″ in modifiedexamples shown in FIGS. 14( a) and 14(b). In these correction tools EQ3′and EQ3″, a thick disc-like operating portion 46 is formed at a tip endof a substantially T-shaped abutting portion 45. The proximal end sideof the abutting portion 45 is formed to be wide in the surface direction(lateral direction), and the proximal end side is partly notched. Theengaging portion 47 is formed by being notched in advance into atrapezoidal shape so that it engages the right lateral end of the nailtip in the correction tool EQ3′ while it engages the left lateral end inthe correction tool EQ3″.

Next, FIG. 15 includes views of a pincer nail correction tool EQ4according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, namely aperspective view (a) and a right lateral view (b).

The correction tool EQ4 is used for correction of moderate to severeingrown nails, and is integrally formed by a flat operating portion 61,a thin-sheet connecting portion 62 extending from a back face side of abottom face of the operating portion 61, an abutting portion 63extending from a lower side tip end of the connecting portion and formedto have increasing thickness toward the front face, and a hook-likeengaging portion 64 folded from a lower side tip end of the abuttingportion 63. Then, the correction tool EQ4 is formed to have a verticallength of about 24 mm, for example.

The operating portion 61, the connecting portion 62 and the abuttingportion 63 are formed to be flush with one another on their back faces.The front face side of the abutting portion 63 is formed to haveincreasing thickness in the shape of a trapezoid in lateral view.

Next, with use of FIG. 16, a method of using the correction tool EQ4configured as described above will be described. Here, the term “ingrownnail” refers to a condition that a lateral end of a nail 71 breaks intoskin 72 as shown in FIG. 16( a). The broken line part represents thepart of the nail 71 situated inside the skin 72.

First, a sanitary treatment is conducted similarly to the firstembodiment. Next, the mixture of the gel and the activator is appliedonto the lower side of the inner face of the abutting portion 63 andonto the inner side of the engaging portion 64. At this time, the upperside of the abutting portion 63 is kept from being rubbed with the gel.

Next, as shown in FIG. 16( b), a lateral nail fold of the subject isopened so that the lateral end of the nail 71 is visible, and theengaging portion 64 is hooked on the lateral end of the nail 71 andfixed. Thereafter, as the gel cures to secure the right lateral end ofthe nail 71 and the lower side of the correction tool EQ4, the gel isfurther poured between the superficial face of the nail 71 and theabutting portion 63 as well as the connecting portion 62. Next, as shownin FIG. 16( c), the operating portion 61 is gripped and the correctiontool EQ4 is brought down while the lateral end of the nail 71 is drawnup, whereby the superficial face of the nail 71, the upper side of theabutting portion 63, and the connecting portion 62 are joined together.The state that the correction tool EQ4 is brought down is kept until thegel cures, and the correction tool EQ4 and the nail 71 of the subjectare integrated with each other while the curved state of the ingrownnail is corrected. The skin 72 is pushed to extend by the trapezoidalabutting portion 63.

A part of the connecting portion 62 is cut along a cut line, a fiberglass is pasted on the superficial face of the nail 71, and the gel isapplied thereon to complete the correction treatment of the ingrown nail(see FIG. 16( d)). Thereafter, according to the degree of remedy, forexample, the correction tool EQ1 of the first embodiment is insertedinto the nail 71 to correct the nail 71, and thus the ingrown state ofthe nail 71 is corrected as shown in FIG. 16( e).

In the correction tool EQ4 of the fourth embodiment, since the abuttingportion 63 is formed to be thick in the shape of a trapezoid, the skin72 can be pushed to extend, and the nail 71 can be corrected whilepreventing the growing nail 71 from entering the skin 72.

In the case of the present embodiment, the correction tool EQ4 may beprovided as a correction tool EQ4′ in a modified example shown in FIG.17. In the correction tool EQ4′, the operating portion 65 is formed intoa thick disc-like shape. Further, an abutting portion 67 in the shape ofan arc in front view is formed to project in the direction opposite tothe hook-like engaging portion 66.

This correction tool EQ4′ is also used similarly to the correction toolEQ4, and it may be used together with another correction tool. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 18, by using the correction tool EQ1 of thefirst embodiment together with the correction tool EQ4′, it is possibleto efficiently correct the nail. First, the correction tool EQ4′ is cutalong a cut line L4 in advance (see FIGS. 18( a) and 18(b)). Then, intothe nail in a condition that a lateral end of a nail 73 breaks into skin74, the correction tool EQ1 is inserted (see FIG. 18 c). Then, theoperating portion 1 is rotated to fix the correction tool EQ1 to thenail, and an unnecessary part is cut off. After securing the correctiontool EQ1, the skin 74 of the lateral end of the nail is opened, and thecorrection tool EQ4′ is fixed onto the surface of the correction toolEQ1 so that the skin 74 is pushed to extend by the abutting portion 67(see FIG. 18 d). With this method, not only the lateral end of the nailbreaking into the skin but also the tip end of the nail can be correctedat one time.

Lastly, as for the correction tools EQ1-EQ4 of the present invention, acorrection tool to be used may be changed appropriately depending on thedegree of curvature of the pincer nail. For determining which one of thecorrection tools EQ1 to EQ4 is to be used, a pincer nail degree chart 80as shown in FIG. 19 is used. The pincer nail degree chart 80 is atransparent sheet member in the size of a name card, on which aplurality of measuring portions 81 classified into “safety zone”,“mild”, “moderate” and “severe” depending on the severity of the degreeof curvature of the nail are printed. These measuring portions have aplurality of arcs 82 formed to correspond to predetermined degrees ofcurvature of the nail.

This pincer nail degree chart 80 is placed in front of a toe, and thenail is compared with the arcs 82, and one of the arcs 82 correspondingto the degree of curvature of the nail is selected. By referring theclassification to which the selected arc 82 belongs, one of thecorrection tools EQ1-EQ4 to be used is determined. For example, thecorrection tool EQ1 is used for 40 to 70 degrees, the correction toolEQ2 is used for 80 to 100 degrees, the correction tool EQ3 is used for10 to 50 degrees or mild ingrown nails, and the correction tool EQ4 isused for moderate to severe ingrown nails.

1. A pincer nail correction tool for remedying a pincer nail of a toe asthe nail grows by integrally bonding a necessary part separated from amain body to the pincer nail, the tool comprising: a flat operatingportion gripped before the necessary part is bonded and to be rotated ina direction in which the pincer nail is remedied; a thin-sheet abuttingportion extending from a flat surface on one side of the operatingportion and projecting straight toward a distal end; a thin-sheetengaging portion narrower than the abutting portion in a surfacedirection and extending from a flat surface on another side of theoperating portion substantially parallel with the abutting portion; anda bottom portion extending from one end face of the operating portiontoward the distal end and connecting the abutting portion with theengaging portion to form a J-shaped cross-section, wherein a projectionlength of the abutting portion is longer than that of the engagingportion.
 2. The pincer nail correction tool according to claim 1,wherein the abutting portion is formed to be substantially rectangular.3. The pincer nail correction tool according to claim 1, wherein theengaging portion has a connecting part continuing from the operatingportion, and an engaging body part narrower than the connecting part inthe surface direction.
 4. The pincer nail correction tool according toclaim 3, wherein the engaging body part is formed to be graduallynarrower toward the distal end.
 5. The pincer nail correction toolaccording to claim 3, wherein the connecting part and the engaging bodypart are connected via an intermediate part formed to be graduallynarrower toward the distal end.
 6. The pincer nail correction toolaccording to claim 1, wherein the abutting portion has a proximal endabutting part continuing from the operating portion, and a distal endabutting part narrower than the proximal end in the surface direction.7. The pincer nail correction tool according to claim 3, wherein in thebottom portion, a distal end side of the engaging portion is notched. 8.The pincer nail correction tool according to claim 7, wherein theabutting portion is provided with a plurality of slots.
 9. A pincer nailcorrection tool for remedying a pincer nail of a toe as the nail growsby integrally bonding a necessary part separated from a main body to thepincer nail, the tool comprising: an abutting portion formed to have aJ-shaped cross section by folding a thin-sheet material and extendinglong toward a distal end; an engaging portion extending shorter than theabutting portion substantially parallel therewith; and a return portionconnecting the abutting portion and the engaging portion, wherein priorto use, an unnecessary part is removed in accordance with a correctionposition of the nail.
 10. The pincer nail correction tool according toclaim 9, wherein a proximal end side of the abutting portion is formedto be wide in a surface direction and is formed to have a substantiallyT-shape in planar view as a whole.
 11. The pincer nail correction toolaccording to claim 9, wherein the engaging portion is notched into atrapezoidal shape on a distal end side.
 12. The pincer nail correctiontool according to claim 9, wherein a thick operating portion is providedcontinuously on a distal end side of the abutting portion.
 13. A pincernail correction tool for remedying an ingrown nail of a toe as the nailgrows by integrally bonding a necessary part separated from a main bodyto the ingrown nail, the tool comprising: a flat operating portion; athin-sheet connecting portion extending from a flat surface on one sideof the operating portion; a plate-like abutting portion extending from aflat face on another side of the connecting portion; and a hook-likeengaging portion formed by folding a flat face on another side of theabutting portion, wherein the abutting portion is formed to be thickerthan the connecting portion.
 14. The pincer nail correction toolaccording to claim 13, used by being bonded onto a surface of anothercorrection tool.